Hollywood Shakes San Francisco: The Great Earthquake in Movies

On Wednesday, April 18, 1906, at 5:12 a.m. the earth shook, buildings collapsed, fires raged, and the history of San Francisco was changed forever. Thrill to depictions of the devastation as Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald, Bette Davis, and other stars dodge falling bricks and chandeliers, while searching for beloved survivors. In addition to contemporary newsreel footage, the program includes the recently rediscovered silent film When The Earth Trembled (1913), Frisco Jenny (1932), San Francisco (1936), The Sisters (1938), and more. Through early special effects and masterful film editing, the cataclysmic 7.9 magnitude event has become a significant plot point in many feature films. 

Jim Van Buskirk is a retired librarian (San Francisco Public Library, Jewish Community Library), Jim currently works as a book group facilitator, writer, editor, public speaker, exhibit curator, and collections manager. Jim frequently writes articles and/or presents programs related to Jewish, literary, film and/or queer history.